MOSCOW, April 18 (RAPSI) – Zaur Dadayev, who stands charged with killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, said in court on Tuesday that on the night of the murder he only went out to a mosque and a restaurant, RIA Novosti has reported.

According to Dadayev, he visited a mosque, then went to a restaurant and returned to his apartment afterwards. “After that I entered home, video shows it to be in 16:45, and I did not leave until the next day,” the defendant said.

Boris Nemtsov, 55, a prominent opposition politician, who held a number of high-ranking posts in the Russian Government in the 1990s and in the 2000s joined the opposition, was shot down in the center of Moscow as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin on the night of February 28, 2015.

Pretrial investigation into the case has been completed. Zaur Dadayev, brothers Anzor and Shadid Gubashev, Khamzat Bakhayev have been charged along with Tamerlan Eskerkhanov with contract murder and illegal acquisition, carrying and keeping of weapons. Ruslan Mukhudinov, a former officer in Chechen Interior Ministry, is believed to be the mastermind of the murder. He was placed on the international wanted list. Beslan Shavanov reportedly killed himself when police tried to arrest him.

Investigators believe that the conspirators in the murder had thoroughly prepared to commit this crime: they studied Nemtsov’s schedule, spied upon him, prepared suitable weapons, vehicles and communication equipment. On the day of the murder, 28 February, after following Nemtsov from his home, at about 11.31 p.m. Dadayev, having received a signal from Anzor Gubashev and Shavanov that the situation was suitable for the murder, shot Nemtsov at least six times, according to investigation.

On April 6, the court heard testimony of Shadid Gubashev made during investigation. The testimony said that Gubashev did not participate in the murder and learnt about it from his brother Anzor. Allegedly, Anzor Gubashev, Zaur Dadayev and Beslan Shavanov killed Nemtsov because the politician offended prophet Mohammed and Muslims.